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September 2007 - Pacific Travels

New Project

The Mystery of ‘Ua‘u

Known to the Hawaiians as ‘Ua‘u for their haunting, nocturnal call, the Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) nests in very remote regions of the Hawaiian Islands. Despite their endangered status, the species remains poorly studied and there is a pressing need to better understand their ecology, including where they travel in order to feed.

Microwave Telemetry has developed miniature solar-powered transmitters that are light enough for these small petrels (~470 g). The tags send location information to satellites so the impressive journeys of the petrels can be mapped.

Oikonos is assisting Josh Adams, (US Geological Survey), David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & Associates), and their Hawaiian collaborators - U.S.F.W.S., Haleakala National Park, State of Hawai‘i - in a study to protect this endangered and mysterious seabird.

A single foraging trip for a Hawaiian Petrel (only a fraction the size of an albatross) can exceed 10,000 km and last greater than two weeks. This individual tracked from Haleakala, Maui performed a clockwise loop throughout the greater North Pacific and into the Transition Chlorophyll Zone (color-shading indicates satellite-sensed chlorophyll concentration) before returning to feed its chick. (USGS unpublished image, J. Adams)

Learn More at the Project Page

Results
Satellite Tracking Reveals Hot Spots in Baja Mexico and Peru for Migrating Pink-footed Shearwaters

Pink-footed Shearwaters (Puffinus creatopus), known as fardelas in Chile, were tracked with solar-powered satellite tags from a breeding colony in the Juan Fernández Archipelago (670 km off the coast of central Chile) to learn about their migration patterns and behavior.

Cinco pardelas pata rosada (Puffinus creatopus) fueron rastreadas por satélite, (con transmisores alimentados por energía solar), desde su colonia de cría, en el Archipiélago Juan Fernández, (670 Km. de la costa central de Chile), para mejorar el conocimiento de sus patrones migratorios y su comportamiento durante la migración.

This reseach is motivated by the North American Conservation Action Plan for the Pink-footed Shearwater, a marine species of common conservation concern for Canada - Mexico - United States.

Esta investigación es motivada por el Plan de Acción de América del Norte Para la Conservación para la pardela pata rosada, una especie marina de preocupación común para Canadá - México - Estados Unidos

Hot spots: Four birds traveled to the same area off the coast of central Peru (left map shows locations of three individuals; black, purple, red points). Once birds reached this region, decreased daily movement rates indicated that the birds moved locally, probably spending more time foraging.

Extensive use of the Bahía Magdalena region in Baja California by one bird (right map) suggests that the area may also serve as an important wintering hotspot for the species.

Both of these coastal regions are influenced by strong upwelling, an oceanographic process that creates highly productive conditions, Such upwelling areas frequently attract large concentrations of marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds and are the focus of intensive commercial and artisanal fisheries.

Future: This study also revealed that migrating Pink-footed Shearwaters spent ~77% of their time near the coast over the shelf, in heavily fished areas. Consequently, the threat of mortality in fishing gear is potentially high for this species. Work in 2007/08 will focus on connecting fishers and conservationists to develop mutually beneficial solutions to assess the threat of bycatch.

Learn More at the Project Page

© Sophie Webb

September 2007

© 2008 Oikonos